Bill
Bill (not his real name) arrived on a bus from Scotland - never did find out why he came here.
In his fifties, Bill had always lived at home with his mother who did everything. She died, and Bill continued in the house they had shared. He had no idea about looking after himself or budgeting, and in a very short time got into arrears with rent and heating. He eventually ran away from it, and ended up on our doorstep.
The main things we did for Bill were to give him time to recover, settle and plan, and to begin to feel a sense of belonging, being cared for, and having pleasant conversations with people; staff, volunteers and other residents.
Bill was with us for about 10 months (far longer than the average). The main reason for this was that Eileen, our resettlement officer, wanted to find the right place for him to move into. She did, and he moved into sheltered accommodation, with someone looking in on him most days.
He's still there.
Sam
Sam was a refugee of violence, and entered the Ark hostel in the same way as everybody - by knocking on our door.
He was lucky, because we had just started Arkangel - our 'move on housing' scheme. Sam was one of the first to become an Arkangel tenant, and during his tenancy undertook a gas fitter's training course. He started with the basic course, and then went on to the advanced course.
He got a job, earning good money, and wanted to move into his own place after being in an Arkangel house for six months. Financially, we helped him to move to a pleasant one bedroom flat. He is doing well, and still riding the bike we bought him.
Since we opened
Many people have been helped into accommodation. Off the streets and away from its violence and temptations they have a stable life-style. A few have also found jobs.
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